Free, ad-supported networks may be next. Boingo Wireless will provide free Wi-Fi at more than 4,000 hotspots with sponsorship from Google Play. The Wi-Fi hotspots are part of Boingo’s Cloud Nine Media platform, a global advertising network that enables brand advertisers to reach a captive audience through Wi-Fi sponsorships.

Wi-Fi users with Android phones and tablets, as well as Windows and Macintosh laptops (but not iPhone or iPads), will be offered complimentary Wi-Fi at thousands of high-traffic locations in dozens of cities nationwide, courtesy ofGoogle Play.